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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. object — an aim
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. rash — hasty
  9. prune — to trim
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. shower — rain
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. rash — a series
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. pit — a hole
  16. branch — a division
  17. stock — goods
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. object — a thing
  20. pit — in a race
  21. prune — to trim
  22. object — to protest
  23. chair — a leader
  24. shower — to wash

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com